There are so many wonderful reasons to take on composting. If you have not tried composting to date, here are some great reasons to start.

It’s good for the environment. Why send food scraps to the landfill when there are better uses for it? Composting means less waste goes to the landfill, which extends the life of the landfill too. Plus, food takes a long time to decompose in the landfill. Why build a mountain of food waste when we can use compost to help grow food?

Right now, our top soil is depleted. Compost puts much-needed nutrients back into the soil, so more great tasting produce can be grown. Plus, farmers get a better yield when they grow food in compost.

It’s good for our bodies. Food grown in compost tastes better and is more nutritious than food grown with synthetic chemical fertilizers.

It’s good for the air. When food is landfilled, it decomposes without air, creating methane, a greenhouse gas that is 20+ times more potent than carbon dioxide, which is detrimental to the ozone layer and contributes to climate change.

It’s good for resource efficiency. The food production process utilizes many resources on its way to our tables. Seeds must be planted and watered, and then the food is harvested, processed, distributed, purchased, prepared and eaten. In the United States, about 40% of this food is wasted between the farm and the table. That’s a lot of resources that could have been saved.

It’s good for water conservation. The amount of water able to be reduced from using compost is significant. Compost assists in drought resistance and erosion control as it is able to hold on to moisture and nutrients for plant use much longer than soil depleted of organic matter. The more water that is able to be contained in soils reduces the volumes of water in stormwater management systems that need to be treated by municipalities, resulting in increased efficiency and lower costs to communities.

It’s good for our economy. Food scraps can be recycled into a higher and better use, rather than ending up in a landfill. Compost is highly regarded by farmers and gardeners to provide plants with nutrients. By diverting food scraps and producing a valuable product, the economy will reap rewards as well.